Barco’s 35,000 lumens HDQ-4K35 projectors were just what we needed, as they deliver the sharpest, brightest of images, allowing us to show the earth with vibrant, rich colors.
Projectors empower Columbus Earth Theater planetarium
Kerkrade, NL - 2015
Empowering the most realistic time and space travels
Always wanted to see what ‘planet earth’ looks like through the eyes of an astronaut? Now’s your chance! Since October 2015, the small Dutch city of Kerkrade, the Netherlands, features an ‘Earth Theater’ in the shape of an inverse planetarium. Dutch AV system integrator Lagotronics Projects equipped the unique planetarium with top-notch visualization technology to help visitors see the earth in crisp, bright colors. As if they really were an astronaut.
A different perspective
The Earth Theater is located in ‘Columbus’, a spherical building half of which protrudes above ground and half of which is hidden beneath it. The inverse planetarium occupies the lower half, where a spectacular, 18-meter wide, hollow projection sphere can be viewed from two rings of glass balconies. "We wanted to show the world in a different perspective and let the visitors really experience it all, instead of merely watching it,” says director Hans Gubbels. “We knew that smart technology would be needed to achieve that lofty ambition. When comparing the different proposals, Lagotronics Projects proved to best meet our requirements.”
European debut
“To visualize the images of planet earth as realistic as possible, we set up a 4K video solution that is really a first in Europe”, explains Mark Beumers, CEO of Lagotronics Projects. “Barco’s 35,000 lumens HDQ-4K35 projectors were just what we needed, as they deliver the sharpest, brightest of images, allowing us to show the earth with vibrant, rich colors.”
Travel in time and space
The Columbus Earth Theater is part of the lofty Museumplein Limburg district in Kerkrade, which bundles three museums that combine technology, science and design. To keep pace with the brand-new Columbus and Cube museums, the existing Continium discovery center got a dramatic overhaul too, in 2015. Lagotronics Projects also equipped the ‘Time Warp Theater’, which invites visitors to travel through time and space, with new AV technology. Seven Barco RLM-W14 projectors project images on a 13-meter wide circle, thus creating a truly immersive experience.
Mark Beumers: “We’re so proud that we got the chance to smartly combine Barco’s leading projection technology to help Kerkrade realize this exceptional project. Lagotronics Projects had the lead in this project, but of course we could not have done it without the suppliers we trust to offer high quality products. And Barco is certainly one of them!”
Barco solution
- RLM-W14 projectors
- HDQ-4K35 projectors
Why Barco?
- 4K resolution
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